JT30.com

Amps: www.HarpAmps.com
Tab: www.HarpTab.com
Contact Webmaster
Links: www.HarpLinks.com
Learn: www.HarpLog.com
Rock & Roll Lyrics

Mic Kaczmarczik's Remove Ground Switch Information

Remove Ground Switch

This directory contains USENET articles Mic has saved about guitars, equipment, pickup, techniques, players, and so on. Mic has graciously granted permission to post the stuff on the JT30 page on the off chance that it might be useful in the context of Blues Harmonica. Mic is not responsible for the content, just the collection.

Do it Yourself

Remove Ground Switch

Remove Ground Switch

From ingin--(at)--gateway.integ.com Thu Sep 14 11:16:40 CDT 1995
From: ingin--(at)--gateway.integ.com (Mark Ingino)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar.amps
Subject: Re: Converting Super Reverb AC Power Cord
Date: 14 Sep 1995 15:13:04 GMT

In article <4377bm$19q--(at)--ernews.raleigh.ibm.com>,
Jim Patrick wrote:
>I'm in the middle of finally changing the power cord on my AB763 Silverface
>Super Reverb from a 2 prong to a 3 prong (I got tired of electrocuting myself
>=:--(at)--). Anyway it appears that I need to disconnect the so called ground switch
>and matching cap entirely out of the circuit, reconnect the 2 AC leads, and then
>hook up the green wire ground to the chasis. It looked like the bolts of the
>output transformer have terminals in use already for ground connections going
>to the chasis. I thought that this would be the appropriate place for my cord ground
>as well.
>
>Can someone who has done this mod confirm that what I have planned is correct?
>
>Also does anyone know of a drop in replacement for the round AC outlet on
>the back of the chasis to also convert this to a 3-prong type?
>
>I'm still trying to figure out how UL ever approved this wiring in the first place.
>Anyone know the history of old Fender ground switch?
>
>Jim
>

Jim- There have been a couple of threads on this so I'll just pass on the
information I've gathered here and in various publications. The ground switch
is from the days when plugs were neither grounded or polarized and UL
approval was not a requirement. It allowed the .01uF capacitor to be
switched from either the hot or neutral leg to chassis ground, depending
on which way the AC plug was inserted, and was intended to reduce AC line
noise. The problem is that the capacitor creates an AC path to the chassis
that can cause shocks if you touch another chassis at another potential.

It sounds like what you have planned is fine with the following precautions
in mind: You want the AC hot lead to go to the fuse before the switch,
making sure the lead goes to the *bottom* of the fuse container first.
Ground can go where you saw the other leads. Neutral can go to the trans-
former lead. You won't need the ground switch anymore so you can free up
any wiring to the switch and use it for something else or put a line out
or bias measurement jack there instead. Make sure that you discharge all
the caps in the amp before you start working on it. Be careful and
good luck.

Mark Ingino







 

A B box
ABY box
Aging Grill Cloth
Available Pot Evaluation
B plus Precautions
B plus Safety Tips
Best Guitar Cable
Bias Jig
Biasing by Scope
Build an AB box
Cabinet maker
Cable Shield Conducts
Caig ProGold GxL
Cap Orientation Test
Cap Temp Ratings
Cathode Current Biasing Error
Champ line out
Cheap Headphone Amp
Cheapo amp
Cigar Box Amp
Damp Tube Microphonics
Darkness
Decontaminate Ckt Board
DIY Bias Probe
DIY Coil Winder
DIY Tube Dampers
Dr Z Kit
Eyelet Board
Fitting Grounded Cords
Fix Stripped Baffle Screws
Fixing Faded Knobs
Forming Caps No Variac
Good Pot Cleaners
Groove Tubes
Grounded Cord Codes
Heat Shrink On Cables
Hot Transformers
How To Lacquer Tweed
How to Measure Wattage
Installing Grillecloth
Light Bulb Cap Formers
Light Bulb Current Limiter
Low Drain Buffer TL061
LV Switchcraft vs Neutrik
Making Decals
Maxi Matcher Review
Measure Amp Power
Mounting A Variac
No Tuner Cleaner
Ohms Law Calc Online
Potting Transformers
Powering up old amps
Re Tolexing
Reconditioning Checklist
Reduce AC Voltages
Reducing Hum
Remove Ground Switch
Resistor Differences
Retensioning Sockets
Scooter Takes The Juice
Solder Types
Speaker Cable Guage
SwAMP ChAMP
Tolex Cleaner
Tolex Repairs
Tone Stack Calculator
Transformer Adapter Plate
Tube Font
Tweed Deluxe Clones
Why Orange Drops

micK pages


Amps
Caps
Circuits
D-I-Y
Effects
Fender
Guitars
Q & A
Speakers
Tubes
Vendors